Current-motor.



PATENTED AUG. 8, 1905.

P. M. CUMMINGS. CURRENT MOTOR. APPLICATION FILED AUG. 25,1904.

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PATENTED AUG. 8, 1905.

F. CUMMINGS. CURRENT MOTOR.

APrpIqATIou FILED AUG. 25. 1904.

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

CURRENT-MOTOR.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Aug. 8, 1905.

Application filed Ahgust 25, 1904. Serial No. 222,091.

' To all whom, it may concern:

Be it known that I, FRANCIS M. CUMMINGS, a citizen of the United States,and a resident of Lewiston, in the county of Nez Perces and State ofIdaho, have invented a new and Improved Current-Motor, of which thefollowing is a full, clear, and exact description.

This invention relates to improvements in motors adapted to be operatedby water-currents for driving pumps, dynamos, or other machinery, theobject being to provide a current-motor of comparatively simple andinexpensive construction and in which the efliciency or power will beconsiderablyincreased over the normal power of the water-current.

I will describe a current-motor embodying my invention and then pointout the novel features in the appended claims.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part ofthis specification, in which similar characters of reference indicatecorresponding parts in all the figures.

Figure 1 is a perspective view of a currentmotor embodying my invention.Fig. 2 is a section on the line 2 2 of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a section onthe line 3 3 of Fig. 1. Fig. 4 is a plan view of the device. Fig. 5 is aside elevation, and Fig. 6 is a section on the line 6 6 of Fig. 1. 7

The device comprises a flume 10, closed at its top, bottom, and sidesand of any desired length to accommodate the required number of wheels,to be hereinafter described. The inlet end of the flume is widened outor funnel-shaped, as indicated at 11, so that there can be acomparatively large inlet of water .to force the same through thecontracted portion of the flume with great force upon the paddles of thewheels. The mouth of the inlet 11 is provided with guard-bars 12 toprevent the entrance of floating matter that will be apt to clog theoperation of the device. The inlet end of course is to be arrangedupstream and suitably anchored.

Extended along the opposite sides of the flume and along the inlet endare air-tight compartments 13, which will provide sufficient buoyancyfor the flume. It will be noted, however, in Fig. 1 that the outlet endis somewhat lower than the other parts of the flume, and the said outletend is submerged,

thus preventing any possible entrance of air" paddle-wheel has itsblades extended from an air-tight drum or hub 16, and the outer ends aresecured together by means of bands 17. Arranged between the outer wallof each wheel-house and the periphery of the wheel is an inner wall 18,the space between which and the outer wall forms a passage for thedischarge of air. On the shaft of each wheel is a bevel-gear 19, meshingwith a bevel-gear 20 on a driving-shaft 21, which connects with a deviceto be drivensuch, for instance, as a pump, dynamo, 'orthe like.

In the operation the water entering the enlarged inlet will pass throughthe flume with a grad ually-increased power over that of the normalcurrent-pressure, and this water passing through the flume by engagingwith the lower blades of the wheels obviously will rotate the same,imparting motion to the powershaft 21. The air contained in thewheelhouses and in the air-tight drums or hubs will prevent the pressureof water from being forced high enough into the wheels to cause them tohave contact with the walls 18 and depreciate the power. The air-passagebetween the walls 14 and 18 permits the air to escape from the front ofthe paddles to the back or rising sides of the wheels. Thus the air willpass in the opposite direction from that in which the wheels arerunning, and therefore prevent a back pressure on the paddles justbefore they dip again into the water.

As before stated, the flume may be of any desired length, and anydesired number of wheels may be employed, depending, of course, upon thenature of the stream and the work to be performed.

Having thus described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secureby Letters Patent 1. In a current-motor, a flume, a wheelhouse thereon,an inner wall for the wheelhouse spaced from the outer wall forming anair-passage, and a paddle-wheel arranged in the wheel-house.

2. In a current-motor, a flume, a wheelhouse thereon, an inner wallspaced from the outer wall of said wheel-house forming an airpassage, apaddle-wheel in the wheel-house and having an air-tight drum forming itscentral portion, and a gear driven from said wheel.

3. A current-motor comprising a flume of Wheel-houses arranged on theflume and In testimony whereof I have signed my name having lnner Wallsthe space between Wh1ch to this specification in the presence of twosubdle-wheels in the wheel-houses having airtight drum-like centralportions, and a driving-shaft having driving connection with the severalwheels.

FRANCIS M. CUMMINGS. WVitnesses:

FRANK BURKE, EUGENE ONEILL.

and the outer Walls forms air-passages, padscribing Witnesses.

